Chain of Hearts
by Mage of Dragons
Summary: The next generation of Tortallans are grown up and ready to start page training. But can they live to fill the legacy of thier parents? Join the children of Kel, Neal, Owen, Cleon, Daine, Roald, and Raoul on their incredible journey to knighthood.
1. Family Trees

_Okay, so I accidentally lost the next chapter of _One Wish…. _Don't hate me! I'm looking for it. I wrote it in a notebook, but now I can't remember which one. So here is a new story about the next generation of Tortallans. I tried to keep all pairings the same as implied in the books. However, I used poetic license to make the kids all almost the same age, because otherwise, some of them would be a LOT older. And I hate reading these kinds of things because I get the peeps mixed up, so here is a chart to help y'all out. Tootles. _

_MoD_

**---------------------------**

**Kel + Dom**

Kieri, Cade

**---------------------------**

**Neal + Yuki**

Natsumi, Jaiden

**---------------------------**

**Roald + Shinko**

Yuko, Sayaka, Sayuri,

**---------------------------**

**Numair + Daine**

Sarralyn, Rikash

**---------------------------**

**Cleon + Whatsherface (er.. I mean Ermelian)**

Aimee and Emilie

**---------------------------**

**Owen + Margarry of Cavall**

Todd, Summer

**---------------------------**

**Buri + Raoul**

Francis, Cayley


	2. Small Beginnings

_A/N: Aiight. Sorry for the wait. I had technical difficulties with this chapter. Oh, well. So, here it is: Chain of Hearts, chapter one-Small Beginnings_

**Disclaimer: I don't know why we need disclaimers. Anyhoo, if I was Tamora Pierce, this would be published and making me money, not sitting around on FF. Duh.**

* * *

"This stinks!" Ten-year-old Kieri of Masbolle exclaimed loudly.

"It's so unfair! Da and Aunt Kel just _have _to go away right before _we _become pages! I didn't even get to say goodbye!" replied her third cousin, Jaiden of Queenscove.

"Well, it really isn't their fault. They have to do what the Crown tells them to."

"I don't care! It just isn't fair! Ahhh!" Jaiden let out an angry huff of frustration. His green, almond-shaped eyes flashed with anger and unshed tears. "This was supposed to be our special day, and they ruined it! I don't even really want to be a page," He said, fighting back tears.

"You do want to be a page, Jai, you just don't know it yet. Besides, we'll se them again at Midwinter. That's not too far off." Kieri said reasonably.

"Why does dumb Sarain have to decide now that they want Uncle Roald to be their Warlord? They already said that Queen Thayet can't inherit! Dumb peace delegation!"

"I don't know why, but we can't change anything now. We're just kids. So let's just go and be pages for now. We _can _do that."

"You're right, Ri. Lets go be the best pages in the history of Tortall!" Jaiden exclaimed in a characteristic change of mood. He grabbed his cousin's arm and pulled her all the way back to Queesncove, where they were both staying.

* * *

"Father, it's not like I can get lost in the _Page's Wing._" Yuko said irritably.

"Yuko, do not address your father that way," Shinko said quietly.

"Sorry, mother. But, Father, how can you even think about worring about me? I'm only going to be a few feet away!"

"I know, but you're my _son. _I'm supposed to be worried about you." Roald said with a grin. "You can go now," he dismissed his son lightly, "go see if any of the others have arrived yet."

"Okay. Father, seriously, don't be worried. I bet even _you_ could hear me if I scream loud enough. Bye!" with that, the ten-year-old heir to the throne fled his father's quarters. Only Shinko heard Roald's sad chuckle.

"He's growing up so fast… And yet, he seems so different from me when I was that age… I don't know if he'll ever be able to take the throne. Perhaps I haven't been serious enough with him…"

"Roald, he's just a boy. And besides, it will be a long time before he inherits the throne. _You _have yet to inherit it. Don't worry. Just give him time. You'll see."

"I guess I have to, don't I?"

* * *

"And remember, no using magic on your friends without their permission…Come to think of it, no using magic on your friends at all. Remember what happened last time?" Numair said with a chuckled, folding the last of Rikash's shirts and placing it into his son's bag.

"Da-a, I was a baby then. I wasn't even six yet! Besides, I've gotten much better since then." Rikash said with a defiant look.

"I know you have. Just…be careful. Some things are better done _without_ magic. I don't think Training Master haMinch will appreciate waking up with his skin dyed blue,"

"I'm not going to magic the _Training Master!_ I'm not that dumb. I _want _to be a page. And not a dead page, either. Sarra told me what he does to punish pages. I do _not _want to get in trouble!"

"Good. Then I'm sure you'll do fine. But I don't know how you can stand it, all the whacking things and falling down and getting hurt. All this rough- and tumbly-ness must have come from your mother's side!"

"Ma will get you for that," Rikash warned his father knowingly. "Promise you'll come at Midwinter?" he asked pleadingly.

His father sighed. "I'll do all that I can to get at least one of us there."

"Okay," Rikash said, a little sadly. He hated when his parents had to leave. But at least they were both here today. When he had talked to Jaiden through his mirror, he had said that neither Neal nor Kel had been there to see Jaiden and Kieri off. He was sad for his friends.

"Rikash! Time to leave! You don't want to be late, do you?" his ma called from outside. He ran to meet her.

"Bye Da!" He yelled. "See you when I'm a page!"

break

It was time to leave, and Aimee already looked a pale and nervous. She stood by the side of the road primly and watched as the servants loaded up the two horses. She heard a sound and turned to face her sister Emilie.

"You know, you don't have to do this," her twin said matter-of-factly. "You could still go to the convent and become a lady. I know you don't want to be a knight."

"But if I go to the convent, I'll have to be away from you. That would be worse than being an icky page," Aimee whispered. The two, despite all efforts to separate them and promote independence, he never been a part for very long.

"If you say so," Emilie rolled her eyes. "I don't see how you want to do this. I wouldn't go with you to the convent for a thousand gold nobles!"

"That's exactly why _I'm _going with _you, _silly! Now let's go, before I throw up. Just thinking about being a page makes me sick."

"Then don't go! No one said you _have _to be glued to your twin for life!"

"Well, I don't want to leave you, so let's just go."

"Fine. Whatever. Let's leave already."

The two walked back out into the yard to face their parents. Ermelian and Cleon proudly waved goodbye to their two daughters, if a little tearfully in Ermelian's case. And so, without any further hesitation, the two Kennan twins were off.

* * *

"WHEEEEEEE! I'm gonna be a page! I'm gonna be a page! This is sooooo JOLLY!" Todd of Jesslaw screamed as he sped along the road to Corus, crouched low along his horse. Oblivious to the shouts of his father and mother behind him, he continued his blazing trail of dust for a quarter mile, until his hose refused to move any further.

When his parents finally caught up with him, Todd was brandishing a stick at an invisible enemy. His clothes were ripped and dusty, and his curly, nut brown hair stood up at all angles. His mother, Kataryn of (Cavall) Jesslaw, merely laughed, and Todd smiled at her with the same crooked smile.

His father, though amused, immediately reprimanded the boy. "Todd! What are you doing? You're ruining your good clothes!"

"But Da, we were going so fast, and it was so much fun but then Jumpy stopped and I fell down and then I got bored but you still weren't here so I saw a bug and I tried to hit it but it stung me so I got a stick and hit it…and then you came." By the end of his long sentence, Todd was too out of breath to say anymore.

"Well, Todd, go get changed. We don't want Training Master haMinch thinking that you're a ragamuffin, do we?"

"But I am a ragamuffin!" Todd replied as he scampered back to put on new clothes.

"Yes, but we don't want him to know that," his father replied lightly.

"Yeah, that would be most un-jolly!" Todd laughed.

* * *

"Francis? Are you ready to leave? Do you have everything?" Buri called to her son. At the sound of her voice, a small, brown face appeared in the doorway. Francis' brown-black curled bounced with each step. At the age of ten, he was already as tall as his mother.

"Ma, you packed for me. All that stuff will last me until I'm a knight. I think that we covered everything. If not, I can always run back over hear during free time and get it. Last time I timed myself it only took five minutes both ways. I think I'll be okay,"

Buri smiled at her son. "I'm so proud of you, Francis. I can't believe you're going to be a page. Now, go see your father. I believe he has something for you." Francis proceeded into the next as calmly as a ten year old can when expecting a gift.

He found Raoul lounging in his study. "So, Francis, has your mother packed you enough supplies to last a lifetime?" he chuckled as his son rolled his eyes. "I would have been disappointed has she packed any less. Now, I want you to know that no matter what, we'll always be here for you. We can talk any time."

"I know, dad." Francis shifted impatiently.

"Now, come with me. I have something to show you."

They had only walked a short while before Francis piped up, "Dad, are we going to the stables?"

"Maybe," said his father, though the twinkle in his eyes gave the answer away.

"The stables…Oh, thank you dad! Thank you!" Raoul found himself stuck in a giant hug, which he returned happily.

After a while, he was prompted to reply, "Now, are you just going to stand here hugging me, or do you want to go see your new horse?"

* * *

_A/N: So...review! Review! or be eaten by my new beta fish, Kaelin! Hahahaha... that would never happen. Kaelin's such a scaredy cat. fish. thing. oh, well. just review, okay? please?_


	3. Sponsors

_A/N: Here it is, chapter two. Hope you like it, and, as always, review!_

MoD

It was the first official day of page training and all of the first-years were nervous. Though they had all arrived some days before, their fears and nerves were renewed as they stood in the hallway, awaiting Lord haMinch. It was evident in the way that they stood, huddled together in familiar groups, their hushed tones, and, in Todd's case, rapid bouncing. Even Prince Yuko was unsure of what to do; he hovered between the groups of his peers, not saying much, which added to the tension.

Keiri, Jaiden, Todd, and Francis were huddled together in one corner. The two cousins bent even closer together in understanding silence. The two curly-heads stood together, companions though complete opposites. Big, dark, quiet Francis stoically did not show his nervousness; he looked almost peaceful. Todd was small, exuberant, pale, and freckle-faced. His excitement showed in every fiber of his body; his knees knocked, his arms shook, his fingers tapped, and his toes clenched in his boots. His mouth moved incessantly, though he was unaware of the flow of words through his mouth. Francis half-listened as he stood, deep in thought. Why was it that they were all so scared? Was this normal, on the first day, or was there even more pressure on them because they were the children of heroes? Why did it even matter? He frowned, thinking of his parents. Could he live up to their legends? He had so many questions.

On the opposite side of the hall, Aimee clutched her sister's arm frantically. Her blue-green eyes were wide, framed by her long, curling, brown hair. Unlike her sister, she had refused to cut her hair before leaving Fief Kennan. Emilie ignored her sister's clinging grip. Her grey eyes were steely as she surveyed the other pages. She had met them all, though however briefly. She wanted to cross the hall and join Keiri and and Jaiden, but she knew that her twin wouldn't move. She reached and felt her hair, fingering the short ends. She had cut it to just below her jaw. It was angled from her cheekbones, it fell straight against her face like an auburn curtain.

When the training master entered, the hall was quiet, the silence only broken by Rikash and Yuko's whispers. All fears had been discarded once a debate had begun on their favorite topic; magic. They barely noticed Lord haMinch's entry as they contrasted Tortallan and Yamani concealment charms.

The training master was a tall, stocky man with deeply tanned skin. His eyes and hair were an intense brown-black. He cleared his throat loudly, drawing all eyes to him—except Rikash and Yuko's.

"Ahem. Your Highness? May we begin?" His voice was rough, but held a world of authority within it.

Yuko blinked twice, then stood at attention. Rikash's blush turned his face crimson.

"Today is your first official day as pages. Welcome. And thank you, for devoting your lives to the service of your country. Tortall could not exist without loyal men-an women- such as you. However, a knight's job is certainly not all glory. From now on, I expect excellence from all of you. It is my job, for the next eight years, to work you like dogs. Believe me, you will work harder than any of you can even fathom. It is my job, my duty, to grind you all into the dust; to destroy your flaws, to perfect your skills, to bend and break you so that, hopefully, eight years from now, when you pick up the fragmented pieces of you body parts and somehow put them all back together, you will be a knight someone who you-and the Crown- will be proud of."

Keiri's face blazed with determination. _Yes. Yes. I want to be a knight. Exactly like Mama. _

Meanwhile, Aimee blanched with each word that the training master spoke. Her hands were white and as cold as ice. _Grind me into the dust? Break? Work? Oh, no. Why did I ever come here? They're going to kill me!_

"Tonight you will be assigned sponsors, older pages who will guide you around the palace, and help to familiarize you with our ways. Now, if you will follow me, the other pages are waiting. Page Yuko?"

"My Lord, I believe that I will not require a sponsor," Yuko said quietly.

"Page Yuko, did I ask if you _required_ a sponsor?" the Training Master said coldly.

"No, My Lord. I'm sorry," Yuko stared at his boots.

"Hmm. Do any more of you feel that you will not be needing assistance around the palace?" Francis and Rikash raised their hands. "Humph. Very well. I will not require you to have a sponsor. Now, may we continue?"

Outside of their wing was a larger hallway. More than two dozen other pages stood in various forms of attentiveness, milling around as they waited for dinner to start. Some of them looked over the first years with interest, while others evidently didn't give a hoot.

"Keiri!" Squealed a familiar voice. She scanned the crowd until she saw a familiar blond face; her foster-brother Tobe. Even though he was sixteen, he was only a fourth-year page, having decided to get his shield two years late. She gave him a wave and a smile. He replied with a double thumbs-up.

Francis' eyes lit up on a familiar face: his sister Cayley. Though three years older, he was already a few inches taller. She gave him a reassuring smile.

Emilee was worried. Aimee still stuck to her like a shadow, and it was drawing attention from some of the older pages particularly a tall, blond boy with icy blue eyes. He looked at Aimee with all the kindness of a jackal. Emilee glared at him, but he regarded her coldly and turned to his group of friends behind him. Whatever he said about them made the whole group erupt with cackles of laughter.

"If we may begin," the Training Master said wearily. "Who of you will be first? Come now, don't be shy," he roughly grabbed Kieri's shoulder. "State your name, page, and we will find you a sponsor."

"My name is Kieri of Masbolle, my lord."

"Very well. Who will sponsor her?"

"I will, my lord," Tobe spoke through the crowd.

"You will? Very well," haMinch said with a sigh, "but do not neglect you duty to be off in the stables again, or I will personally make sure that you do not see a minute of free time until after midwinter."

"I understand, my lord." He beckoned his sister to come and stand with him.

Jaiden was bought up next, sponsored by a tall Bazhir boy named Amir ibn Yhim.

Todd, who bounced up and down even as he was addressed by Lord haMinch, was sponsored by Mitchell of Hollyrose.

And, finally only Aimee and Emilee were left. Emilee stepped up first, and was sponsored by Francis' sister, Cayley. When it was Aimee's turn to be sponsored, Emilee saw the blond boy open his mouth. She quickly tried to interject.

"My Lord, begging your pardon, but Aimee and I really only need one sponsor, being twins. Cayley could be her sponsor, too."

"Hmm, and Cayley, you agree to this?"

"It… it would not bother me, my lord,"

"However, you two are tow separate people. Independence needs to be encouraged, and I would not want to burden two first years on one page,"

"Really, Lord haMinch, it would be no trouble at all, I don't mind, really!" Cayley said, seeing the scared look in Aimee's eyes.

"No, I will not allow you to sponsor two pages. It would be too much of a strain," the training master finished.

"But-" Emilee tried to contradict him.

"This is my final answer, Kennan. If you oppose it any further, you will find yourself working in the armory for the next week. I will make allowance for you because you are new, but I advise you, do not interrupt me any further. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, my lord. I understand." Emilee looked down at her feet.

"Now, who will sponsor Aimee of Kennan?"

"I will, my lord," the blond boy said, a wicked tone to his voice.

"You will, Jocell of Stone Mountain? Surely you have something better to do with your time?"

"I wish to be of service to my fellow pages. I would be happy to sponsor the—girl," Jocell said airily.

"Would anyone else like to sponsor this girl?" ha Minch asked. No one spoke up. "Very well. Aimee of Kennan, your sponsor will be Jocell of Stone Mountain."


	4. Second Opinions

_A/N: I know that I've been writing a lot of one-shots lately, but I vowed to try and continue some of my other fics, too, so here it is; the next chapter of Chain of Hearts._

* * *

"Pages! Pick up the pace! That staff is a weapon, not a Maypole, Jesslaw! Stop dancing and block one of Goldenlake's strikes!" the formidable training master yelled in the authoritative voice that made all of the first years jump.

Todd yelped and hung his head, only to be whacked in the collar bone by Francis as he completed the next strike in the pattern. "Ow! Owowow!" he cried, dropping his staff to grab his shoulder.

Francis crossed the line to stand over his friend, who was lying on the ground. "Todd? Are you okay?" he asked softly. "You're not hurt, are you? I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"Of course I'm hurt, you ogre!" Todd said, wincing as he got back up. "But I think I'll be okay," he said, though privately he wondered if the bone was broken. But Francis didn't need to know that. He was so kind; he'd kill himself with worry for hurting his friend.

"Jesslaw! Goldenlake! Back to your places! Immediately!" Lord haMinch barked, without sympathy for either of them.

Meanwhile, Keiri was facing off against Tobe to one side. They had practiced so often together that staff fighting was second nature. They were evenly matched and each knew the other's every move, so haMinch had them free-fighting away from the first-years. Kieri grinned as she shifted her hands on the staff. It was so much fun fighting against Tobe. They could spar for hours, not stopping until they both collapsed in exhaustion.

"Come on, little sis, pick it up! You're not going to lose to me, are you?" he said quietly, "besides, who taught you to fight like that? You fight like a girl"

"Then you fight like one, too, Tobe, 'cause you're the one who taught me to fight!"

"And you'd better not forget it!" it was their common fighting dialogue.

Yuko was sparring with Jaiden, and both looked unsteady. Sweat dripped down their faces as they concentrated on doing things exactly right, looking like rusty metal toy soldiers. Each move that they made was slow, stiff, and awkward.

Emilee was holding her own against a second-year, with not much skill, but considerable natural talent and finesse. Every so often, the other boy snuck in a hit, but Emilee grew better with every pass.

Rikash and Aimee, however, were a disaster. Aimee hopped around from foot to foot, trying to avoid any contact with Rikash's staff. She yelped and lost her hold whenever the two poles connected. Rikash was not much better. The light wood felt like lead in his hands, and he insisted on not continuing until every move was perfect. The spar was peppered with his curses and exclamations of "Oh, let me do it over! Once more!" Lord haMinch offered no advice to the two, letting his assistant take over. When he looked over at them, it was all he could do not to run home and bury his face in his hands. How could two children of some of the best fighting families in Tortall be so incompetent? And why was it up to _him _to train them? If luck was with him (it never was,) maybe they would ice out in a few weeks, once they started falling much farther behind.

"What are ye' doing, ye' bloody idiots? Y'er doing it all wrong! How can you ever expect to become knights when ye' fight like that?" The training-master's assistant, a short, stout man of sanguine complexion, bellowed at full-force. Though common-born, Angus Tanner had no qualms ordering these lordlings about. "Ye'll never be a fighter. Why not learn to dance instead? That's all ye'll be good for. Bloody waste of heritage, ye' are, coming from some the best houses in all of Tortall."

Rikash bit his lip, fighting back tears. This is what his sister had said, that he could never make it as a fighter. That he might as well go back to his books. He had so wanted to be a knight, but if the assistant was right, he would never be anything at all…

Aimee, however, reacted in a different fashion. Throwing her staff to the ground, she whirled to face the man. "Well, maybe if you showed us how we were _supposed _to do it, then maybe we would be better, but no! You're just a lazy, fat, mean old man! You don't help us by screaming insults at us this whole time, you only make it worse!"

Angus Tanner doubled over laughing. When he finally collected himself, tears were coursing over his gruff face. "Ah, ye've got spirit; I'll give ye' that, lassie. But if ye' put that much effort and heart into fighting as ye' did yelling at poor old me, ye'd be a much better fighter than ye' are now!"

Aimee bit her lip, turning red. It was true, she hadn't been trying at all; she was too afraid of getting hurt. But a real fighter wouldn't care about getting a bruise or having their fingers broken. And she would _have _to become a real fighter if she wanted to stay with Emilee. Her sister was a true fighter, anyone could see that. Aimee knew she could never compare. She was so angry at herself, she had yelled at the training master's assistant! She was lucky; any other man would have given her punishment duty. So she vowed to try a little harder, and flinch a little less during the next round.

If Angus Tanner saw the fierce gleam in his young pupil's eye, or heard her bite back a scream of rage, he didn't show it. But now and again, he would smile a little to himself. Though anyone would doubt it, he would make a warrior out of this lass yet.

* * *

_October is respect the author month. Make someone's day; write a review!_


	5. Bruises and Bookwork

**_A/N: I'm back!!! Well, here it is, the next chappie. Some quick random facts: Aimee is based on an actual person, a girl on my sister's soccer team, named (coincidentally(not!)) Amy. And, for any of you who are McCaffrey buffs like me, Ella and Zara are an illusion to Elizara of _The Tower and The Hive _(The Talent Series). _**

**_FYI, I'm pretty sure that the series will focus primarily around Kieri, unless another character decides to assert theirself. I have a feeling that Emilie won't let Kieri stand in the spotlight. But I'm def. not going to let the other guys stand in the dark. They're coming...I guess you'll just have to wait and see (and review!)_**

* * *

That night, the new pages sat in their rooms, nursing their bruises while attempting to make a dent in the mountain of schoolwork they had already received. It was the first day and already Kieri wondered how she could ever keep up. Despite all the training she had done at home, she was exhausted. Her arms ached, still feeling the impacts of her staff on Tobe's. Her legs ached from the miles of running they had performed. It didn't help her any to know that she was the best prepared of the first years. Fighting and athletics came naturally to her; she had practiced for hours all summer.

Now, she sat at her tiny, very uncomfortable desk, too tired to concentrate on the sheet of mathematics before her. She had saved this for last, thinking that her favorite subject would cheer her up after dragging through the subjects she struggled with. But now, it was almost lights out, and she was already asleep on her feet. She wondered how the others were taking things; Jaiden, of course, would generally fly through the schoolwork, but he had received countless bruises throughout the day, and his tolerance for pain was remarkably low. If he had enough common sense, her cousin would have used some of his Gift to heal his bruises, but, knowing him, he had probably used it all up already on other people. And with his physical energy drained, his Gift wouldn't be back for a while.

A quiet knock on her door shook her from her reverie. Cayley was standing in the hallway, leaning on her doorframe. "Hey, Kieri, how're you holding up?" there was a smile in her eyes, even though Kieri could tell from her voice that the older girl was tired. She wore a leather harness over a loose cotton nightshirt and breeches.

"Just barely. But ask me tomorrow, and I'm not sure how I'll answer," Kieri responded, and they both laughed.

"Have you talked to your friends lately?"

Kieri shook her head. "I figured that all of us, including me, were too tired for anything tonight."

Cayley nodded sympathetically. "The first three days are the worst. Then, after a week, you get used to it," she fingered the broad leather straps that hung over her shoulders. "At least until you get these things," she added. "I really should have trained with one over the summer, like Pa always told me to. You'd think I'd have learned, but it always seems like so much effort when I forget what the first day back feels like." She shrugged apologetically.

"Ma told me about the study groups that she always had, but I figured we had better just survive the first week before we try anything else. Do you have anything like that, the upper years?"

"No, not really. I guess my year just isn't as close as, say, my Pa's year, or your mom's. I guess we just have little groups, just our own friendships."

"I think that our year could go either way. We've all got these connections, we're all adoptive cousins, and siblings, and real cousins. We're all connected, but some of us more than others."

"Well, I definitely think that you should start assembling your group as soon as possible. You're going to need all the strength you can get. I'd talk to Aimee first—I'm sure that Jocell will give her the same _warm _welcome that he gave me, and Ella, and Zara. I know that, by now, those things _shouldn't _happen. But people like Jocell-they don't learn. His dad was there when Joren was pulled out of the Chamber. His dad and Uncle blamed-and still blame-your mother for his death. He's determined that female knights-female pages-will be the downfall of the Realm, despite the dozen-or so of us who've become honorable, successful, amazing Lady Knights. He's already targeted Aimee, and now that he's her page sponsor, she's under his control. The way he looks at her—it's like a hyena. We have to protect her, until she learns, because I don't trust him not to do anything right off."

"You're right we-uhhh-have to do something" Kieri let out a yawn, just as the bell chimed the tenth hour. It was officially lights out. "Uhh. I didn't finish my mathematics," she frowned at the sheet.

"That's okay. Bring it to breakfast—you'd be surprised how productive we can be, as long as haMinch doesn't catch on. But he's not too alert by breakfast time, anyway."

Kieri smiled. So Cayley wasn't perfect, after all. She knew her way around the rules.

Cayley waved a goodnight and shut the door, sneaking back down the corridor. Kieri fell into bed, blowing her candle out and settling into the darkness. It was only the first day, and things were already getting interesting.


	6. Midnight Reflections

**_A/N: I'm on a roll! I'm really getting into this now. And since there are only eight days of school left, I'll actually have free time! Yay! So, here's the next chappie of CoH. Enjoy!_**

* * *

Late that night, Emilie sat in bed, thinking. It was long since lights out, but still she laid awake, hands clasped behind her head, staring up at the infinitely black ceiling. This first day of page training had given her much to think about. It had not been the glorious transition she had expected, rather being filled with much disorganization, competition, dust, and bruises. She had met most of the other pages before—her father was caught up in a complex web of connections which only came with being one of the best knights of the realm. However, seeing them here, all in the same situation made those familiar faces seem almost alien.

Despite their famous parents, despite their previous fighting experience (Aunt Kel had stared Kieri on a glaive as soon as she could walk) despite the ability that was "bred" into them, nothing could have prepared them for this day. Emilie could not escape the feeling that, underneath the layer of dust and bruises, she was now, somehow, a new person. Her father had told them to expect the worst from her fellow pages, but today hadn't been so bad for her. Aimee was a good deal frightened, but not as badly as she could have been. Emilie doubted that her sister noticed it, but every time a not-so-well wisher stepped up to them, a small band of silent protectors would subtly brush them away. Though Emilie had taken a few rounds up against Jocell and some other pages, the older pages had been successful in keeping her sister from bodily harm. Though their threats had frightened her, she had avoided any physical altercations with the older, stronger boys.

Thinking of her sister, Emilie wondered what Aimee was thinking now. They had been too exhausted to speak after dinner, and instead had gone right to their rooms. Though she would never admit it to anyone, especially Aimee, she actually missed the long conversations they used to have every night. She had thought that she was the independent one, able to live on her own. Now, their distance made her realize exactly the enormity of her situation; never before had they been separated. And they couldn't even visit each others' rooms if they got lonely; no one was allowed out of their rooms after lights out. They couldn't whisper through the walls, as they had done for an hour when they had been sent to different rooms as punishment back in Kennan. By sheer bad luck (or more likely the deliberate efforts of haMinch) their rooms were several doors away, and across the hall.

She wondered what Aimee's impression of today would be; when she had asked earlier, her sister had just given a frustrated sigh, looking close to tears, and slammed the door. Jocell had been no help. Although he hadn't done anything _terrible _to Aimee, at least by her standards, Emilie could tell that, if given the chance he would make life miserable for all of them. So far, he had stuck to the little things, sending Aimee on a few pointless errands, bumping them in the hallway, blocking them on the way to physical training. According to her father, Jocell's uncle and his cronies had stooped _much _lower. She didn't even want to think about the things they had done to other pages, or the city girls. She needed to find a way to stop that boy, and soon. Maybe Cayley and Kieri would help, but if not, she was prepared to take him all by herself. Anything to protect her sister.

Sometime while trying to form a plan to stand up against the older pages, Emilie's mind spiraled down into blackness. She sank back into her pillows, her last thought that she missed being able to reach out and squeeze Aimee's hand. But she was deeply asleep, all thoughts of loneliness forgotten, until the morning bell rang too soon in her exhausted ears.

* * *

**_A/N: So, sorry these two chapters have been slow and kinda action-less, but I guess I'm character-building. Expect some more action and excitement coming in the next chapters! These kids are destined for great (albeit scary) things!!_**

**_Don't forget to review! Always yours,_**

**_Mage of Dragons_**


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